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Today’s Focus The Problem The way a person in sobriety reacts to life’s challenges, difficulties, and surprises may arouse emotions that are stronger, bigger, or more intense than the situation calls for. Out-of-control emotions can lead to relapse. The Solution When a person in sobriety chooses to respond to life’s up and downs, rather than reacting, s/he gains perspective on those situations and maintains emotional equilibrium. This balance fosters healthy recovery.

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Tools I Found Effective “ Acceptance ” paragraph (p. 417 Big Book) “Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.” The Promises (p. 83-84 Big Book) “We will know a new freedom and a new happiness” “We will comprehend the word serenity and know peace” “We will see how our experience can benefit others” Gratitude Book - One thing I’m thankful for each day Earnie Larsen’s Stage II - Self Talk Exercises Emotions Anonymous - “Just For Today’s”

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Bill W.’s Essay “THE NEXT FRONTIER: EMOTIONAL SOBRIETY” January 1958 Key points in essay: After successful sobriety from alcohol, "many oldsters" still lacked emotional sobriety. Bill included himself. Even successfully sober, and linked with the Fellowship of AA, “peace and joy may still elude us.” Emotional Sobriety’s Main Goal: “How to translate a right mental conviction into a right emotional result, into easy, happy and good living.”

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TAMING The BEAST Emotions that remain unmanageable make us – and our loved ones – miserable. Bill asked: “How shall our unconscious be brought into line with what we actually believe, know and want.”

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HOW TO CHANGE? “If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand.” “We can be set free to live and love if we surrender these hobbling demands.”

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Albert Ellis - 1950s Father of CBT Our emotions stem mainly from our beliefs, evaluations, interpretations, and reactions (“cognitions”) to life situations. These cognitions can be either rational (realistic, logical) or irrational (dysfuntional, maladaptive).

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Emotional Disturbances People develop “emotional disturbances” and behavioral difficulties when they take their valid desires for love, approval, success and make the mistake of perceiving them as dire needs. Emotional Disturbances largely result from irrational, self-defeating thinking: * “If I don’t get my way, I will go to pieces” * “I must do better, or I’m a complete failure” * “I ought to have success, but life is never fair”

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Basic CBT Model 1.When a person is skilled at Identifying 2.and Refuting irrational beliefs, 3. and has learned to Replace these ineffective ways of thinking with effective and rational (realistic, logical) cognitions, 4. the Result is one’s emotional reactions to situations improve.

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Emotions Anonymous “A 12-Step program for those seeking emotional health.” www.EmotionsAnonymous.org The Choice is Mine: “Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is and not force everything to adjust to my own desires.” List of “Just for Todays”… …pick 3 that you like See SAMPLES in HANDOUTS